APC to challenge its Cross River North defeat in court

The All Progressive Congress (APC) says it plans to challenge its defeat in the Cross River North Senatorial and House of Representatives election.

Alphonsus Eba, the state APC chairman said this when he addressed a news conference on Thursday in Calabar.

Mr Eba who alleged that the election was marred by violence, said the victory of the PDP was pyrrhic and would evaporate into thin air when the APC took up the matter legally.

“We are aware of what happened in the Northern and Central Districts of the state, but I am waiting for substantial reports. As a lawyer, I will look at all the evidence and see the ones to take to court.

“This is why I have not mentioned in detail specific Local Government Areas where electoral irregularities and violence against the electorate and officials of the APC were carried out.

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“Our take is that electoral violence must be kept out, it will not be allowed by our own party members and when we find our own members wanting, we will hand them over to the security agencies,” he said.

While thanking the electorate for their support in the election, he urged all the leaders of the party to go back to their communities and continue their work to ensure that APC wins the governorship election come March 11.

He said APC had found its root in Cross River by winning two senate seats out of three, and five House of Representatives seats out of eight with high expectations of winning the forthcoming governorship election.

Similarly, an ex-aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Obono-Obla called on the president to investigate the allegation of the use of security agencies to scuttle elections in the Northern and Central Senatorial Districts of the state.

“If soldiers must be deployed in a state, the governor must be aware, but from what we saw the governor was not aware and it was against the electoral act,” he said.

Jarigbe Jarigbe of the PDP defeated Governor Ben Ayade of the APC in the senatorial election while Peter Akpanke and Godwin Ofiono of the PDP won the Obudu/Obanliku/Bekwara and Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency respectively election.

(NAN)